NZYWF: Moana Speaks from the South

‘We sweat and cry salt water so we know the ocean is really in our blood’ (Teaiwa, 2017). Writers of Te Moana-Nui-a Kiwa swim with their words; our narratives are embodied, visceral and deeply intertwined with our senses of self. In this panel discussion, 2024 Guest Curator Ruby Macomber (Rotuma, Ngāpuhi) talks to Emele Ugavule (Sauniveiuto, Serua, Fiji vasu Nukunonu, Tokelau kei Alele, Hihifo, Uvea), Zech Soakai (Poutasi, Upolu, Samoa & Pangai, Ha'apai, Tonga) and Stacey Kokaua (Ngāti Arerā (Rarotonga), Ngati Pāmati, Pākehā) about what it means to be geographically separated from the heartbeat of their whenua but to write in proximity to whakapapa, and to (re)imagine the moana through the beauty and complexity of contemporary diasporic identities. They also explore creative techniques that keep their bodies and narratives in conversation.

Book here: Moana Speaks from the South – NZ Young Writers Fest